Nonrefillable device



April 9,'1935. J. P. BURKE Re 19,516-

NONREFILLABLE DEVICE original Filed sept. '29, 1952 Reissued Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED STATES lane Nonanrnmne nevica James P. Burke, Knoxville, Tenn., assigner, \by

meme assignments, to Colts Patent Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Conn.,

Fire Arma a `cor-` poration ofConnecticut v ollllll N0. 1,938,093, dlt'ed December 5, 1933,

Serial N0. 836,171, September 29, 1932.

plication for reissue May 31, 1934, Serial No.

29 Clalml.

This invention relates to nonretlllable devices. One object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having improved nonreilllable means including a closure having a frangible portion and adapted for limited angu-r 4 ment, to break the frangible portion and permit lar movement, arranged so that an axial force is exerted on the closure as a result of said moveremoval of the closure means.

Another object of the invention is the provi sion of an improved nonrellable closure including a plurality of members individually connected to a container and interconnected with each other or otherwise restricted as to movement. according to an arrangement such that the closure cannot be removed from the container except by breaking the closure at or near the point of insubjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout thel several views.

In the drawing: I Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation with parts in section showing an embodiment' of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical elevation with parts in section of a device in course of manufacture.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation with parts in secd tion showing a modiilcation of the invention. f

Fig. 5 is a top plan view thereof.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure. but, useful devices may` be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains, that. the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is

' submitted merely as showing the preferred exempliiication of the invention.

Generally described, this invention provides a closure of such nature that it cannot be removed except by breaking the same, and the invention is applicable to containers, tubular devices and other receptacles. The utility of the invention may be especially noted in connection with nonrellable closures. The invention may include a closure ember and a sealing member coacting therewith as by extending thereover. but generally speaking, a closure means is provided having a frangible portion and connected to the container by guides, threads or cams, and so arranged as to' have or be adapted to have a limited angular movement, if desired, preventing removal ofthe closure means, but suflicient to cause exertion of a force in a suitable direction, preferably axially, so as to cause breakage of the frangible portionv and permit removal of the closure. It is preferred that a broken or deformed portion shall remain in engagement with the container or closure for indicating that the container has been tion along any suitable path, and the axial force may be created by reaction against any desired part of the container closure unit. For illustratinga specific embodiment of the invention, the closure and sealing members may be individually connected to the container along similar paths or paths of diierent or even opposite vclirections, and one of the members may have a frangible portion or' a yielding portion associated therewith, the members being interconnected at o r adjacent to the frangible or yielding portions against inter-relative axial movement, except on causing exertion of a force sufcient to break the frangible or yielding part. By centralhf forming the interconnection between the members, the operation of assembling the closure is facilitated, and the sealing member can be turned to l some degree without turning the closure member;

while if the members are movable, if at all, in diil'erent directions, a wedging or jamming action can be obtained, militating against removal of the closure, except that the breakage 'of the frangible portion may occur in the manner described.

Referring in detail te the drawing, III denotes a device embodying the invention. This may include'a container 4I i of any suitable material such as glass, having a neck I2 that may have suitable engagement means. suchas threadedl portions I3, Il, the latter being of diii'erent position or diameter and preferably larger than the opened. The closure may be slidable for connecformer. "The thread at Il may be sufficiently short to constitute in effect a cam or inclined guide means, but these terms are used as equivalents herein.

Connected on the portion I3 is a. closure member I5 oi' any generally conventional construction, and which may have an internal sealing liner disc I6 if desired. The closure member I5 may also have a central engagement projection or pin I1, such aS an eyelet, for instance, that can be connected or headed over to form a permanent connection.

Coacting with closure member I5 is a vsealing member I8 which may be variously coordinated with the closure member as by extending thereover. This sealing member may be in the form of a cap or the like, and may have a threaded or cam portion for engagement with the portion Il. Preferably the end wall I9 of the sealing member may lie closely-against or alongside of the corresponding end wall of the closure member 20, and it may have a central end opening 2i for receiving the projection I-1. A part of the closure means, or one of the members I5, I8 may have a deformable or vfrangible portion, and preferablythe sealing member may be provided with an annular recess 22 extending around the connecting projection or in spaced relation thereto, while `the projection may be headed over at 23 on the part of the sealing member in proximity to or within the recess.

The closure and sealing members may be made of any suitable materials, such as metal, orv com` position materials, while the projection I1 is preferably metal moulded into the closure member I5.

The thread at Il may have a. different or larger lead than the thread for the closure member. and said threads may be right and left hand threads if desired. Hence any turning movement of the sealing member that might be communicated to the closure member could not be used to open the closure. If the pin I1 is mounted in a swiveled manner, said threads may also extend in the same direction and have the same lead.

To assemble the device, the closure member I5 is screwed tight, and then the sealing member I8 is screwed homefthe projection I1 passing through hole 2|. Then the projection is headed over by pressure or spinning and the device is complete.

To open the device, the sealing member may be turned in a right hand direction, creating an axial tension on the locking means I1 and causing a fracture along the recess 22. The sealing member can then be removed and discarded, but the portion 2l may remain permanently connected to the closure member and indicate that the bottle has been opened.

It will be observed that these are two separate means engagint,h the sealing member Il, one of the said means, the cam portion Il of the container, engaging the main body of the sealing member and serving to prevent direct upward relative movement thereof while permitting relative rotative movement, and the other of the said means, thelocking element I1, serving to break the readily breakable portion of the said member upon relative rotative movement of predetermined extent. The element I1 eiects breaking by applying a force to the breakable element at an angle to the direction of rotative `movement, lsuch frce in the present instance besealing member. At least one of the said means engaging the sealing member connects it directly with the closure member I5, and preferably and as shown the other of the said means connects the sealing member directly with the container.

,The locking or breaking `element I1 is preferably carried initially by the closure member I5 as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and its construction is such that it permits free relative movement of the sealing member IB into its normal position in engagement with the cam portion or threads Il on the container; but the said breaking element I14 when headed over as shown in Fig. l

v is adapted to engage the frangible or breakable portion of the sealing member, in this case the top portion I9, so as to break the said top portion upon relative movement of the sealing member out of its normal position as shown in Fig. 1. Although the breaking element I1 does not initially engage the sealingrnember, the said top portion III thereof is nevertheless specifically shaped as shown in Fig. 1 for engagement by the said breaking element. l

It has already been stated that the two threads on the container may be right hand or left hand,

Fig. 1 shows right and left hand threads; and Fig. 3 shows threads of the samehand but of different leads. In either case the differential relationship of the two threads causes the breaking of the top portion of the sealing member upon rotation of the said member in the unscrewing direction. With the right and left hand threads as shown in Fig. l, unscrewlng of the sealing member tends to tighten the vclosure member,

or may be of the same hand but of different leads.

and inasmuch as thetop portion I9 of the sealing member is held by the breaking element I1 the said top portion ls broken out as already described. With threads of the same hand but of different leads, as shown in Fig. 3, unscrewlng movement of the sealing member might cause simultaneous rotation of the closure member if the closure member should be at al1 loose. However, if the closure and sealing members were to rotate in unison, they would rise at different rates and this would cause the breaking of the top portion of the sealing member. As illustrated in Fig. 3 the thread I4 has a coarser lead than the thread engaged by the closure member and the sealing member would rise faster upon rotation of the two members in unison. Inasmuch as the members are connected together by means of the breaking element I1v the more rapid rise of the sealing member would cause the top portion thereof to be broken out.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a modication of the inventionwhich may be in all respects similar to that hereinbefore described, except that the closure means 25 has associated therewith a member adapted to overlie the line of fracture so as to prevent a person's hand from being scratched or cut thereby. For example, a plate like element 25 may be centrally secured by the projection I1 when the same is headed over. This element 2B may extend over the recess 22, and may consist of metal. Preferably a transparent material such as celluloid or the like is employed so as to render the line of fracture clearly visible, and the recess 22* may be deepest at its inner periphery so that the fracture may occur there. By making the element 26 resilient and cup shaped, it will thus be assured of moving downward and enclosing around the line of fracture. The resilience and degree of flexure may be enhanced by radially slotting the element at 21.

" I claim:

It will be appreciated that variousl changes "and modincations may be made in the device as shown in thefdrawing, and that the same is submitted in 'an illustrative and not in a vlimiting sense, kthe scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.` i

l. A deviceincluding'a container having a closure member, a sealing member over the closure member, the sealing member having a frangible portion, saidlmembers being positively connected vwith the container so as to be individually differently movable relative thereto, said members being snugly interconnected to prevent any movement of'either relative to the container except on breaking the frangible portion, and so that a force applied for opening the sealing member tends to increase the closing action of the closure member.v

` 2. Av device including a container having a clo- `sure member, and means including a sealing member thereover, the sealing member being connected to the closure member and threaded to the container, said means having a portion that is adapted to give way under a force applied to the sealing member so as to release the latter from connection with the closure member.

3. A nonreiillable closure device including a container, and means including a yclosure member for the container and avsealing member extendlng over the closure member to prevent removal thereof, -said members having interconnecting means including means for individually connecting the members to the container to prevent removal of thesealing member from the container, the sealing member having a frangible portion whereby a portion of the sealing member can be removed from thecontainer to permit removal of the closure member, and said means acting between the container and sealing member being actuable for causing an axial breaking force to be exerted on the 'frangible portion.

4. A device including a container and closure means therefor having a portion threadedly' connectedA with the container and a cooperating means acting in the direction of the axis of the closure means for preventing angular movementv vvjecting'said portion toy a torque, said portion having an annular frangible portion adapted to be broken bysaid force.

6. A device including a container, a closure member therefor, and a' sealing member over the closure member, one of the members having a frangible portion, said members having individual locking portions for connecting the members to the container, said locking portions being characterized 'in that, they are movable in different directions to eachother for connection with the container, and the members being interconnected with each other so that the locking portions cannot released and the `members removed from the container except on breaking mammals pompa.

7. A device including a container,y and means including a closure member, and a sealing member thereover, the different members being individually connected to the container by means of right and left hand threads respectively, said means having a portion releasably interconnecting the members to prevent removal thereof from the container.

8. A device including a container, a closure member, a sealing member, the different members being individually connected to the container by means of right and left hand threads respectively, and a central element interconnecting the members against removal thereof fr om the container, the sealing member having an annular frangible portionextendng around the central velement whereby-the sealing member is broken on exerting a vsuillcient torque thereon.

9. A device including a container, a closure member, a sealingA member, the members beingl interconnected to each other, the members being so individually threadedly engaged with the con- -tainer that the threaded connections jam on applying a torque to a 4member for removing the s ame, and one of the members having a frangible portion at the point of interconnection between Athe members so that the interconnection between the main parts of the members can be broken on applying a suihcient torque to a member.

10. A device having a container neck, and closure means including a closure member extending along the neck, a sealing member over the closure member, the sealing member being connected to the Vcontainer neck along a line at an angle to the axis of the latter, means interconnecting the members to prevent movement therebetween along said angle, and a frangible portion whereby the sealing member can be released.

1l. A device including a container having a closure member `and a sealing member individually threadedly connected to the container, said members being axially interconnected and one of the members having a frangible portion in proximity to the point of interconnection for releasing the interconnection between the members.

l2. A device including a container, a closure member therefor, a sealing member over the closuremember, the sealing member having a frangible portion, means axially interconnecting the frangible portion and. the closure member to hold the members against interrelative axial movement, and means individually connecting said members to the container so that the sealing member cannot be removed except by breaking the frangible portion. 13. A device including a plurality of coaxial closure elements having axially interconnected wall portions lying alongside of each other, the outer element having a weakened portion spaced from the axis, and shield means extending over the weakened portion.

14. A device including a container, and closure means therefor including a closure member and a. sealing member, said members having connecting portions extending at different angles to eil'ect 'connection with the container and the membersbeing connected with each other so that the connecting portions are held/against movement along said diierent angles, and one of the members having a frangible portion, for the purpose set forth. Y

15. A device including a container and closure niv means including a closure member.-a sealing member thereover, and means associated with the members and the container and having portions for interconnecting the members with the container, said portions extending along diierent angles and coacting for wedging interaction along said diierent angles, the sealing member being held against movement into-operation with the closure member to cause said wedging.v

means engaging the sealing member and onel of them connecting it with the closure member, one of the said means engaging the main body of the sealing member to prevent direct upward movement of the said member while permitting relative rotative movement thereof and the other of the said'means directly engaging the readilybreakable portion of the sealing member, and the said two means cooperating to cause the means engaging the breakable portion to .apply a breaking force at an angle thereto upon a relative rotative movement of predetermined extent.

17. The combination of a container having an opening, a closure member normally closing the container opening, a sealing member structurally separate from the closure member and at least partly covering it to prevent removal thereof while thel sealing member is in place and unbroken, the said sealing member having a portion adapted to be readily broken while the main body thereof remains intact, and two separate means engaging the sealing member and connecting it respectively with the closure member and with the container,one .of the said means engaging the main body of the sealing member and serving to prevent direct upward relative movement thereof while permitting relative rotative movement and the other of the said means directly engaging the readily breakable portion of the sealing member, and the said two means cooperatingv to cause ythe means engaging the breakable portion to apply a breaking force at an angle thereto upon a relative rotative movement of predetermined extent.

18. The combination of a closure member adapted to normally close a container opening,y

an externally visible preformed readily breakable sealing member structurally separate from the closure member and at least partly covering it to prevent removal thereof while the sealing member is in place and unbroken, means normally serving to prevent direct upward relative movement of the sealing member while permitting relative rotative movement, and means engaging with the closure member and the sealing member and serving in cooperation with lthe first said means to apply a breaking force to a portion of the sealing member so as to break the said portion upon a relative rotative movement of predetermined extent.

*19. The combination oi' a closure member adapted to normally close a container opening, an externally visible preformed readily breakable sealing member structurally separate from the closure member and constituting an outer closure substantially completely covering the flrst said closure member, the said sealing member having a portion at the top adapted to be readily broken while the main body thereof remains intact, means normally serving to prevent direct upward relative movement of the sealing member while permitting relative rotative movement, and means engaging with the closure mem- 'ber and the sealing memb'er and serving in cooperation with the rst said means to apply a breaking force tothe readily breakable top portion of the sealing member so as to break the said member upon a relative rotative movement vof predetermined extent.

20. The combination of a closure member adapted to normally close a container opening, an externally visible preformed readily breakable sealing Vmember structurally' separate from the closure member and at least partly covering it to prevent removal thereof while the sealing member is in place and unbroken, the said seal- 'ing member being provided with a thread by which it is vheld in place, and means engaging with the closure member and the sealing member to break the latter upon relative movement thereof in the unscrewing direction.

21. In a device of the class described, the cornbination of a closure member adapted to normally close a container opening, la preformed molded ing'member and adapted to permit free relative 4 movement of the said member in the direction to screw it into its normal position, the said element being en'gageable with the top portion of the sealing member when the latter is in its normal position so as to break the said top portion upon relative movement of the sealing member in the opposite unscrewing direction.

22. In a device of the class described, the combination of a closure member adapted to normally close a container opening, a preformed sealing member constituting an outer .closure adapted to substantially completely cover the first said closure member, the said sealing member having a thread by which it is held in place and being provided at the top with an externally visible readily breakable portion, and an element initially carried by the closure. member at the top thereof entirely independently of the sealing mally close a container opening, a preformed" molded sealing member provided with an externally visible readily breakable portion, the said sealing member being adapted to at least partly cover the closure member to prevent removal thereof while the sealing member is in place and unbroken and the said sealing member being threaded and adapted to be freely engaged with'a thread on the container, and a metallic element structurally separate from the sealing member and adapted to permit i'reer relative movement o! the said member in the direction to screw it into its normal position on the container, the said element being engageable with the readily breakable portion of the sealing member when the latter is in its normal position so as to break the said readily breakable portion upon movement o! the sealing member relative to the container in the opposite unscrewine direction.

24. The combination of a molded closure member adapted tonormally close a container opening and adapted for use in conjunction with a preformed outer sealing member having a readily hreakable integral portion at-the top constitutling an externally visible indicator, and a metallic element carried by the closure member at the top thereof and adapted toengage and break the said top portion of a sealing member upon a predetermined movement oi' the ysaid sealing member relative to the closure member.A

25. A performed sealing member of the cap type adapted to cover a container opening and having a thread adapted to engage a thread on the container, the said sealing member having an integral portion which constitutes an-externally visible readily breakable indicator and is specincally shaped for engagement by a breaking element held against movement in unison with the sealing member whereby thesaid indicator portion is adapted to be broken when the sealing member is turned to unscrew it from its nor,V mal relationship with the container.

26. A preformed sealing member of the capI type adapted to at least partly cover a container closure member and having a thread adapted in engage a thread on the container. the said sealing member having an integral portion which' constitutes an externally visible readily breakable indicator and is specincally shaped i'or engagement by a breaking element carried by the closure member and held against movement in unison with the sealing member whereby the said indicator portion is adapted to be broken when the-sealing member is turned to unscrew it from its normal relationship with the closure, member and the container.

27. A preformed sealing member o! the cap type adapted to substantially completely cover a container closure member and having a thread adaptedtoengageathreadonthecontainenthe saidsealingmemberhavinganintagraiportion l '5 at the top-which constitutes an externally visible readily breakable indicator and which is specilically shaped for engagement by a breaking element carried by the closure member whereby the said top portion is adapted to be broken when the sealing member is turned to unscrew it from its normal relationship with the closure member and the container. y

28. In combination, a threaded closure member adapted to normally engage a thread on a container and to close the *opening thereof. a preformed externally visible readily. breakable sealing member adapted to at least partly cover the closure member to prevent removal thereof while the sealing member is in place and unbroken, the said sealing member a thread of the same hand but ot dinerent pitch from that on the closure member and adapted to normally engage a corresponding different thread on the containerV whereby rotative movement oi the closure and indicator members in unison in the unscrewing direction will causeth said members to rise at diilerent rates and thereby break the sealing member. and a'breaking element adapted to interengage between the closure and indicator members and adapted to break the indicator member when it is turned in the unscrewing direction relatively to the closure member.

29. In combination, a threaded closure member adapted to normally engage a'thread on acontainer and to close the opening thereof, a preformed molded sealing member constituting an outer closure adapted to substantially completely cover the nrst said closure member and provided at the top with an externally visible readilybreakable portion. the said sealing member having a thread oi' the same hand but oi a diil'erent pitch from that on the closure member and adapted to normally 'engage a corresponding thread on the container whereby rotative movement of the closure-and indicator members in unison in the unscrewing direction will cause thesaid members toriseatdiil'erentratesandtherebybreakthe scalini member, and a breahng element strucl turally from the sealing member and adapted to permit tree relative movement o! the saidmemberinthedirectiontoscrewitintoitsv normal .position on the container, the saidolementbeingenlaeeablewiththetopportiono! thesealingmemberwhenthelatterisinits normalpositionsoastobreakthesaidtopportion upon relative totthesealingmemberintheoppositeunserewingdirection.

, JAIIIBRBURKI. 

